


Two in One

by RadioactiveZombieKitty



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Confinement, Monsters on the Surface, No Papyrus, Other, SOUL absorption, Shady Government, Unethical Experimentation, not your typical sans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:35:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21775312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RadioactiveZombieKitty/pseuds/RadioactiveZombieKitty
Summary: It's been several years since the Monsters made it to the surfaceeveryone has been enjoying it as much as they canwell, everyone except Sans
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

_The serenity of this moment was intoxicating. Stars twinkle overhead, a light mid-summer breeze dances across their skin, and making the leaves on the tree above whisper a soothing melody. It was just Sam, under the night sky next to his little tent, the fire having long since been snuffed out. The warmth seeping from the sun baked earth kissed his legs pleasantly as he sat there, soaking in the sights and sounds around him._

_He found that his head was blissfully blank for a change, half expecting the solitude to drive his thoughts into darker places. Thankfully he had found a rare peace here instead, perhaps it was this way because now things were out of his control or worrying just seemed a waste of time. Whatever the case he let himself bask in the feeling._

_The sky was so lovely, a half-moon shone overhead, the grass rolling away in a soft looking carpet only to be interrupted by the waters of a small lake. The scent of water and all things green and alive tickle his sense, soothing his soul in a way he could’ve only dreamed of mere weeks ago. Everything was ok, the world aligned in a perfect moment, he was hap-_

**Tap!**

**Tap!**

**Tap!**

“You got visitors.” An irritated voice grumbled from the other side of the glass. His eyes flickered to life at the sound and feeling of the green syrup like substance being drained from the container he was suspended in. The substance drained quickly, lowering him down to the obscured metal hatch at the bottom of the two-story tall tube.

The hatch opened to a blank faced human woman holding a hose. Familiar with procedure by this point, he braced himself for the punishing wave of cold water knocking him to his knees. Once she was satisfied he was rinsed enough, she hauled him to his feet, helping him step out of the healing tank. He struggled to stay upright, leaning against the wall as she roughly toweled him off.

“Can you dress yourself Mr. Serif?” she asked in a flat tone, holding out the dull grey shirt and pants out to him. He took them without answering, summoning up the courage to speak.

“Y-you must be ne-new here.” He began shakily his voice a faint and weak as he struggled into the clothes. “You can c-call me Sans, to-to patella the truth ‘Mister’ makes me s-sound more im-important than I am.” He tried to put on a carefree smile, but it came out tight and anxious.

“Can you walk Mr. Serif?” she asked, face unchanged and tone as flat as her expression. His shaky smile fled from his face, the disregard of his words sending the clear messages that yet again his attempt to befriend a human had been shot down.

“No, ma’am.” He responded dishearteningly, “Still c-can’t feel them m-much.” She simply nodded, guiding him to the wheelchair she’d brought with her. Trying to shake off her rejection, he forced himself to relax as she pushed him down the stark white floor and clouded grey walls of the hallway to the visitor room.

The silent, cold stares of the guards placed at regular intervals down the hall, sent nervous prickles up his spine. They always looked at him like he was some animal that would go feral at any moment. Not that they needed much of a reason to hurt him. He hadn’t realized he was working himself into a nervous fit until, unbidden, his own hand patted his opposite shoulder reassuringly. Breathing deeply he calmed himself down.

_~Thanks, kiddo._

The hand on his shoulder gave him a soft squeeze in response, trailing down his arm to hold the other hand, running a phalange soothingly over the fused bone than made his palm. Finally, they made it to the room his visits took place, stars he missed his brother. The prospect of seeing him ignited excitement in his soul that he hadn’t felt since… well since the last visit, actually.

“Now Mr. Serif, due to your good behavior you’ve been allowed more time and privacy during your visits for now. Please don’t do anything to make them regret their leniency with you,” she said detachedly as she opened the door for him. With a nod he rolled himself into the room, feeling the weight of those words.

Surprisingly the room was rather comfortable, with carpet, plush couch and windows. The distinct lack of a glass wall separating the two halves of the room sent his soul racing with excited anxiety. Would they let him hug his brother? Would it still feel the same or had they taken that from him to? He didn’t wait long until his adoptive brother Grillby and his friends Undyne and Alphys were ushered into the room.

“Eeeyyy, there’s my fire brother! C’mere!” Sans exclaimed, wheeling clumsily yet eagerly over to the fire elemental. Grillby took Sans from the chair with ease, holding him close and flickering with strong emotion. Neither of them could really remember the last time they had so much as fist bumped, let alone hugged.

“Don’t hog Sans all to yourself, nerd!” the blue fish-monster laughed, stepping in and joining the hug with enthusiasm. Sans put an arm around Undyne as well, drawing her closer.

“N-no fair, don’t leave me out!” the short orange dinosaur whined practically jumping into the group hug, dragging them to the floor in a fit of laughter. The sound and feeling of being surrounded by people who care about him filled his soul to the brim with such peace and happiness, he felt tears trying to fall. Gritting his teeth, he forced the tears back, not wanting to worry his friends.

…

…

“… Why are you in a wheelchair this time, brother?” Grillby inquired softly, one arm still curled around his shoulders as they all chatted pleasantly on the couch. With practiced ease, Sans waved his concerns away.

“Heh, it’s kinda embarrassing, but I overdid it when they allowed me access to the pool yesterday.” He shrugged sheepishly, “My excitement exceeded my magic it seems, and they are forcing me to take it easy so I don’t collapse.” A sad smile crept up Undyne’s face.

“Oh yeah, that punk always did love swimming.” She chuckled weakly, “Could’ve sworn he was part fish monster instead of human.” Alphys put her hand on Sans's knee.

“Y-you aren’t still s-seeing th-them.. right?” she asked nervously. He couldn’t help his eyes flicking briefly to the figure no one else could see, he already knew his response despite the helpful shake of the figures head.

“Nah, I’ve stopped having hallucinations for a while now. Sure, I still dream about him on occasion, but nothing unusual.” He lied sweetly, giving her a warm smile as she physically relaxed. “ So, how are the royals and the big six doing?” he said, pointedly steering the conversation to safer waters.

“… Do you really have to make them sound like some weird indie ska band?” Grillby’s quiet, amused voice inquired beside him, making him laugh.

“They practically are a weird indie ska band, bro. That only politicians are into.” He snickered, “and someday they will get their lucky break and perform beautiful speeches on live TV across the world.” He gestured in a large arch to emphasize his words.

“Things are going ok. Chara and Asriel are really living up to all the hopes we pinned on them all those years ago.” Undyne smiled toothily at him, “With the other six humans backing them up, they’ve pretty much got everything running smoothly.”

“W-we are are s-still looking i-into getting you ou-out of here too!” Alphys said excitedly. Sans could feel his green eye-lights shrink in shock and fear, but he tried to play it off.

“That’s really s-sweet of them, but they shouldn’t waste their valuable time on me.” he cracked a winning smile, “It’s important to keep promises, and me being here was part of the treaty with the humans. It would be dishonest to try and back out without consequences.” He patted Alphys on the shoulder.

“Besides, could you imagine me having a job? Or, heck, even staying in one place long enough to? We all know I’ve got nothing to contribute to society, I’d rather be scampering around in nature like an over-excited squirrel. You’d probably see me even less than you do now. Here I get plenty of nature from the garden out back, I’m actually useful and they practically treat me like royalty!” he beamed at them with as much enthusiasm as he could squeeze onto his face.

“But enough about me, have you two set a date for the wedding yet? I can’t wait to see pictures!” he turned to Undyne and Alphys, forcing the topic into wedding planning mode. It was a relief they dropped it. Stars he was exhausted from all the nerves, but it sure beat being restless while stuck in a tube of green goop. After another bout of talking color pallets and flower choices, the three exchanged a determined look before looking back at Sans.

“Brother, do you think the facility would let you participate in the wedding? Even if just streaming it live?” Grillby asked, his voice even, like he’d practiced it beforehand. Sans soul stuttered, his mind racing, he looked briefly to the invisible figure floating behind Undyne. It simply shrugged its transparent green shoulders, oh so helpfully.

“I… I don’t really know, bro.” he fidgeted, “b-but if you’re sure, I don’t see the harm in trying…” the three tackle-hugged him, making him feel cared for.

“We want you there Sans.” Undyne said seriously.

“It wouldn’t be the same without you!” Alphys assured.

“… Everyone misses you, brother.” His brother’s quiet voice cut through his defenses, bringing tears to his eyes where they spilled immediately. He hugged them back with an intensity that consumed all of his thoughts.

“You guys are the best.” Sans hiccupped, “W-what did I do to deserve s-such great friends?”

“You mean, apart from almost single-handedly freeing all of monster kind from our underground prison?” Undyne joked, laughing wetly, “What can I say? I’ve always liked being your sparring partner.”

“and working on machines together.” Alphys chipped in.

“… and cooking together.” Grillby added softly, “You’ve always been one to encourage others Sans, helped keep a little hope alive in Snowden. Nothing feels quite right without you.” Now Sans was a sobbing mess, overwhelmed by the love he felt fill his soul from his friends and family.

He wished he could be with them, he wished he could leave this cold, cruel place, but the humans didn’t think he was worthy of such things anymore. To guarantee a peaceful transition to the surface, he’d pushed that they not let concern for him cost monster kind everything. Fear had compelled the humans to drive them underground in the first place, and he’ll be damned if he let them try that a second time because he’d absorbed a human soul.


	2. Chapter 2

The cold speckled grey walls did little to comfort the bare-chested monster seated on the examination table. Walls lined with equipment and lights glaring down overhead, Sans tried not to fidget as the electrodes were placed on his bones, the sensation of the sticky pads making him want to shudder in disgust, but he knew better than to show such reactions anymore.

“So, what’s on the torture agenda today? Oh, sorry I mean ‘research’.” He said snidely to the blonde-haired human in a long white coat.

“For someone who hates being here, you sure talk this place up to your friends.” The human-who-likes-to-think-he’s-a-doctor said. Sans glares at the brown-eyed bastard, who was currently laying out an array of syringes onto an open case cart.

“I don’t have a choice; I have to be here. Why worry them about something they can’t change. You, on the other hand, do have a choice on how I’m treated, and you obviously chose the most unethical option you could stomach.” Sans sneered back, “Not that I’m surprised, humans _can_ exist without love and compassion after all.”

“That’s rich, coming from someone who ate their so-called ‘friend’s’ soul.” The blond doctor commented mildly, as he wheeled the cart over. The dull-eyed nurse gestured to Sans to lay back on the examination table. He silently complies, knowing it would make things worse to struggle.

“Ate? Really? Is that what you’re calling it now? You really do know nothing about such things.” Sans smirked, knowing that the fact he doesn’t know irritates the doctor to no end. His smile slipped from his face, regretting his slip into the hateful banter he’d come to expect from his encounters with the doctor when his mind thought back to his friend’s visit.

“Hey, Doc?” Sans softened his tone, making eye contact with those earth brown eyes. Something in Sans tone must have caught the other off guard for he seemed to hesitate, syringe in hand, before injecting the clear liquid through his joint to his magic lines.

“What?” he scowled, fiddling with his watch, pale skin looking gaunt in this light.

“Do you think, under different circumstances, that we could’ve been friends?” the doctor stared at him, seeming startled, for a long minute before looking back down at his watch with an uncomfortable look on his face.

“… No, if anything were different, we wouldn’t have crossed paths.” He muttered trying to keep a straight face, making Sans raise a bonebrow.

“Well, for whatever it’s worth, I think of us as frienemies, so we are practically halfway there,” Sans says with a wink. “You’ve stuck around longer than anyone else, that’s for sure.” The man didn’t reply, taking another needle, attached via tube to an empty vial. More gently than usual, he inserted the IV and watched the vial fill slowly.

“Not by any choice of mine, I assure you,” he said finally, switching the full vial for an empty one. “Just be glad this,” he gestured at Sans and the equipment, “Isn’t all theater anymore. This data is helping the monster public.” He removed the needle after three full vials were collected, before preparing another syringe.

“Oh.” Sans was a bit lost for words, “I.. uh... thanks, I guess?” Sans winced at the new injection. “Guess that means, you’ve got a decent amount of say on what goes on here, huh?” the doctor looked up from his watch, scowling.

“What do you want?” he grumbled, cutting to the chase. Sans can appreciate the straightforward nature of this human. He took a deep breath to steel himself.

“I’d like to go to my friend’s wedding.” That clearly surprised the doctor, who hesitated with his new set of empty vials for a moment before inserting the needle into the ankle joint.

“What can you offer in return?” he asked, “They don’t exactly like you enough to do you favors.”

“Information and I can translate documents brought from the underground that seem to be in a lost language.” The doctor pulled away with the full vials, as he stared at the skeleton who now seemed to be struggling to move his own hand from his face.

_*Sans! you can’t just offer that information!_

_*Those texts are sacred and precious! You swore to protect them!_

Sans slumped on the table, too tired from magic loss to fight the kid. The so-called Doctor, continued his work, opting to ignore the odd behavior in favor of considering the offer.

_~I never said I’d give them the correct translations, have a little faith._

The hand clamped over his mouth slackened and carefully laid itself back on the examination table.

_*Fine, but know I don’t approve!_

_~Disapproval? Got it. Anything else?_

“I’ll see what I can do.” The sometimes Doctor sighed interrupting the silent conversation, taking a scalpel to Sans’s knee joint, reopening an incision from a week ago and removing a small rubber object he’d place there, and sealing it back up with some magic adhesive. He quickly and deftly repeated the process on the other side, making it seem like he was an actual doctor that he claimed to be.

“There, roll your ankle for me.” the kinda Doctor said, pulling over a mounted screen that he placed between him and Sans, lifting the skeleton’s leg up with a curt nod. Sans couldn’t refrain from aggressively rolling his eye-lights before attempting the same with his ankle. He hissed with pain, but only managed a slight twitch of the ankle for his trouble.

“The magic lines have atrophied but are still intact.” The blonde human hummed, pleased. “we can start physical therapy in the morning, see if time will help the recovery of mobility.” He wasn’t really talking to Sans; he didn’t really need the other’s input right now. He hit the button on the intercom and ask the nurse to “take Mr. Serif to his room” which had Sans sigh in relief.

“Thank the stars! I was tired of being a pickled skeleton.” He jokes, trying for humor only to have it ignored again. After all this time, it shouldn’t still sting as it did. His left hand held his right, tracing soothing circles again while he sat up and let the nurse roughly peel the electrodes off, and deposit him into the wheelchair. This one actively glared at him, making the back of his skull itch at the intensity, as she rolls him down the corridor.

Well, they would sack her soon enough, wipe her memory of the place and send her on her merry, monster-hating ways. Until then, he’d have to endure her manhandling him when she’s on the clock. Can’t exactly complain to anyone about it. He’d just be ignored or jeered at. No, best keep it stoic and silent, but Sans was never one to do the smart thing though, a slight mean streak having been developed while in the company of these humans, a desperate tactic to force the social interactions he was starved for.

“So, who’d you kill to end up here?” he asked casually, “serial killer or just a one-time thing.” He could hear her grip the handles harder, “That’s why you hate us, right? Because we can tell?” She starts walking a little faster.

_*Sans, don’t_

But he ignores the advice. “Well, it’s ok, literally everyone in this facility has murdered at least once, so you’re in good company.” He pauses for effect, before saying softly, “Everyone except me, that is.” And suddenly he was dumped from the wheelchair as the woman screamed at him.

“You lying piece of trash! You’ve killed, otherwise, you wouldn’t be here!” the guards wrestled her away from the monster on the ground as she tried to get at him, and pulled her screaming down the hallway, “How dare you act like your better than us you monster filth!” his left hand was already covering his mouth before he could retort. He grimaced against the hand but didn’t fight it.

In the ringing silence left in the wake of so much shrieking, The hand slipped from his mouth to his shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

_*Sans, are you ok?_

The glee he got from getting such a strong reaction from someone, was fleeting and soured with a twinge of guilt at the tired sigh he heard from Sam. He knew he was coping with isolation poorly, desperate enough to provoke attach. Losing touch with almost everyone for so long was driving him to these socially destructive habits.

_*You can't keep doing this, Sans._

The guilt intensified at the worry in their voice, he couldn't find adequate words to apologize for his selfishness so he stayed quiet. Sam was far more isolated than Sans, yet took this better than he did because they'd always found peace in solitude, or in the company of very few. That doesn't mean they weren't also suffering as he was, and in other ways as well. He can be such an idiot sometimes.

Sam took over Sans’s body as the other mentally withdrew. So, Sam crawled to the overturned chair and righted it, not bothering to ask a guard for help as they stood, staring impassively at the monster struggling into the wheelchair. Once seated, Sam hurried to their room and the awaiting bed. Another few minutes of tricky maneuvering and they were on the bed, clutching the hard-won extra pillow to their chest as they conjured a peaceful memory to reside in. Tonight was going to be another long one.


End file.
